The past year has not been kind to Sofía Vergara. In July 2023, she and her husband of seven years, Joe Manganiello, divorced. Recently, the actress was named in a lawsuit for her upcoming Netflix miniseries, Griselda.
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Sofía is most well-known for portraying Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the popular sitcom Modern Family and for serving as a judge on America’s Got Talent. But the actress took on a completely different role when she signed on to play Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. Let’s take a closer look at the lawsuit naming both Netflix and Sofía.
What is 'Griselda' about?
Griselda tells the story of Griselda Blanco, a “devoted mother who created one of the most profitable cartels in history,” according to the Netflix description. “Witness how her lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm helped her to expertly navigate between business and family.” The miniseries is made up of six one-hour episodes, and was created by Eric Newman and Andrés Baiz, the team behind Narcos and Narcos: Mexico.
Sofía and Netflix are involved in a lawsuit regarding ‘Griselda.’
Sofía not only stars in Griselda, but also serves as an executive producer on the series. But a lawsuit filed by the real Griselda’s family members threatens to postpone the release date. This is because the actress, Netflix, and others involved in the series have been named codefendants in the suit.
Griselda Blanco’s son, Michael, filed the lawsuit on January 17.
Griselda Blanco’s son, Michael Corleone Blanco (Michael Sepulvedablanco in the lawsuit documents) and his wife, Marie, filed a lawsuit on January 17 in Florida's Miami-Dade County, Today reported. The defendants seek damages "in excess of $50,000” and an emergency temporary injunction to block Griselda’s release on January 25. In the lawsuit, they claim promotional materials for the series use the unauthorized "image, likeness and/or identity" of family members. (Michael also has a book coming out on January 25.)
The Blanco family also released a statement.
"Make no mistake, Michael Blanco is humble and thrilled each and every time someone reaches out to shine a light on his mother and the Blanco family," Griselda’s family said in a statement from their lawyer, reports Business Insider. "However, in the case of Netflix/Latin World Entertainment, the Defendants approached Michael Blanco to gain his work, perspective, and insight to only turn around and act like he does not exist, in an apparent attempt to reap their own profits.”
The statement continued, calling the defendants’ actions “disappointing” and noting that "common courtesy, consent, and compensation would have amicably resolved the issues with the Defendants and prevented this lawsuit."
What have Sofía and Netflix said about the 'Griselda' lawsuit?
As of writing, neither Netflix nor Sofía have publicly commented on the lawsuit. Sofía has continued to post photos and videos promoting the miniseries on social media. It isn’t clear whether Griselda will still be released on January 25.
Sofía has opened up about playing the titular character in ‘Griselda.’
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sofía opened up about her character in Griselda. “I’m not a killer, but I am a mother; I am Colombian,” she told the publication. “I think that at the beginning, she had the right intention of surviving and being strong and being a mother. But she had something bad inside her because she went harder than any narc guy. She was ruthless. She was a very complicated character.”
